2018 Topps MLS Major League Soccer Cards

Getting back to the action, 2018 Topps MLS Major League Soccer highlights the best players from the domestic league. Among the three hits in every hobby box are two autographs and one jumbo memorabilia card.

Growing the 2018 Topps MLS checklist with more expansion teams, new cards for the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) players debut in the flagship set. The 2017 product offered the first cards for Atlanta United FC and Minnesota United FC.

2018 Topps MLS Base / Inserts

Making use of a distinct primary design, the 2018 Topps Major League Soccer base set features a diagonal text box with the team logo. There are also colorful parallels numbered to 99 or less.

Celebrating the top players of MLS, insert choices include Throwback Topps. This retro design is taken from 1988 Topps Baseball. Another option honors the All-Star subjects. Limited parallels come via Orange, Red and Black, which are numbered to 25 copies or less.

2018 Topps MLS Autographs / Relics

The hit yield in 2018 Topps MLS Major League Soccer hobby boxes includes two signed cards. Most will come from the base Autograph version. There are also All-Star Autographs and Throwback Topps Autographs.

Oversized swatch cards are another box hit, with the Jumbo Relic insert being the primary set. Rare versions like Black Patch offer quality memorabilia pieces, while the Autograph parallel provides an added signature. Numbered to just five copies, Crests of Honor displays multi-color patches.

2018 Topps MLS Major League Soccer Review

Reviewed by Trey Treutel

Good: Good insert variety; Crest of Honor relics are impressive; first LAFC cards.

Bad: Very weak signer's list; not a ton of value to pull from boxes.

The Bottom Line: MLS is a tough nut to crack because the value is harder to deliver but the collecting side is still solid. Box prices are a little high for what you get, but fans of the league should find some enjoyment in the set.

Staff Rating:

2.8 / 5.0

Card Design: 3.25/5.0

I can't think of any product line that puts forth such drastic design changes each year. I do admire the effort not to rely on flagship Topps Baseball to supply the look, and the base design definitely has more personality than 2017. Though, I am still torn about the diagonal fill and team logo square in the background.

Inserts include the 1988-based Throwback and the retro-looking All-Star. I like both of these for their old-school feel, especially the All-Star cards. Multi-Dimensional is basically just three player images smashed tougher, but it is a nice change of pace.

I'm not sure if it's just me, but the Jumbo Relics don't seem quite so jumbo. On the other hand, even though the print runs are capped at just five copies, the Crest of Honor cards have some awesome patches.

I know they are easier to work with, but given the limitations of MLS as a whole, getting away from the sticker autographs would be a huge positive. I think having on-card signatures gives that little extra that would go a long way.

Checklist: 2.0/5.0

MLS has some really good players and even some legit stars, but it seems like very few of them were included in the autograph checklist. I imagine it was too late to get Ibrahimović, but where's Giovinco, Schweinsteiger, Altidore, the dos Santos brothers, Gyasi Zardes, Josef Martinez or Bradley Wright-Phillips? And what about someone like Romain Alessandrini or Miguel Almiron?

To be a successful card release, you need top stars or rising talent to sign, and preferably both. This is where 2018 Topps MLS struggles the most.

On the plus side for expansion fans, the base set has the first LAFC cards.

Value: 2.0/5.0

The weakness of the autograph checklist brings down the value for the set. $65-80 per box (at the time of this review) is actually pretty expensive when you look at what you can pull from a box, even with two autographs. As a result of the signers, much of the possible value comes from the rare jersey cards or low-numbered parallels.

The Fun Factor: 4.0/5.0

I really do the enjoy the desire to be fresh with the base design. The collector in me had a pretty good time during the break and the review box even produced a bonus hit as it had two relics and two autographs. Most exciting was the Orange parallel for Agudelo that contained part of the ad from the jersey. An extra hit and sweet jersey piece is always more fun.

2018 Topps MLS Major League Soccer Cards, reviewed by Trey Treutel on 2018-07-13T13:30:24+00:00 rating 2.8 out of 5

Trey Treutel | E-Mail Author
Trey Treutel is an Ole Miss grad and a lifelong sports fanatic. He is a huge fan of the NBA and NFL, as well as soccer, college basketball and college football. As a kid, he collected football and basketball cards. In more recent years, he started collecting basketball cards again on a whim and has since expanded to other sports and entertainment options. Find Trey on Twitter at @datreute or Google+.

It is not and, thus, should not be confused with Panini. Likewise, the product has a place in the market. Fun. Get something in nearly every pack. Signatures in each box. A jersey in each box. Ideal for kids or the suit builder collector, as opposed to the high-end autograph/relic chaser. Picked up a box out of curiosity. No doubles. Only a few cards short of a base set. The collation quality on this DWARVES, for example, World Cup Prizm. If I see another team card from Iceland, Australia, Panama, Poland, Japan and S Korea any time soon … it will be too soon. Ideal for kids. Ideal for set related folks. Not for the collector looking to pull the auto to return 5x plus on the price of the purchase.

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